FAQ

If you rank in the top 75 percent of your high school graduating class, and your class rank and test scores place you near the assured admission requirements, you may be eligible for our holistic review process. Spaces fill quickly and applications will be reviewed in the order they are received.

For admission, a high school class rank is required.

If your high school does not rank, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will assign you a class rank based on an individual review of your academic credentials. This review will take into account curriculum and grades, as well as other factors. You are encouraged to send us your high school's profile, as well.

In accordance with Senate Bill 1543 (SB1543), applicants for admission who present evidence of completion of a nontraditional secondary education without an official class rank will have a class rank assigned by Texas State. The class rank will be comparable to the average class rank of other applicants who have equivalent ACT or SAT scores. A nontraditional secondary education includes Homeschool and GED graduates. Texas State requires an official homeschool or GED transcript to demonstrate evidence of completion.

Keep in mind that assigning you a rank may make your admission process take a while longer.

For more information regarding the admission process for applicants from non-ranking schools or other educational programs, contact your freshman Admission Counselor.

If you are a graduate of a non-accredited high school, your application will be reviewed on an individual basis by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. This review will take into account your full academic record, including ACT/SAT scores, curriculum and grades, admission essay, service to the school/community and class rank.

A transfer student is someone who has completed credit hours after he or she has graduated from high school. If you are in high school and have dual credit hours, you will need to meet freshman admission standards and have a 2.0 GPA in transferable coursework.

No. While you can bring in credit hours from AP, IB or CLEP for your degree, these tests will not count for admission purposes.

Please send all admission materials to:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admissions Center
429 N. Guadalupe Street
San Marcos, TX 78666

Phone: 512.245.2364

Fax: 512.245.9020.

Email: admissions@txstate.edu.

Visit our Undergraduate Degree List for an alphabetical listing of our majors.

Visit the campus tours page to schedule a campus tour or go to the Events page  to learn more about special visit days for prospective students and their families. To schedule an appointment with an admissions counselor, call 512.245.2364.

Visit our Freshmen Admissions Requirements page to learn more about our Assured Admission criteria and our holistic review process.

Applications should be completed by the Admission Priority Dates posted for each term.

Texas State does not require a Letter of Recommendation. However, if you choose to submit one, please make sure it includes the applicant's full legal name, date of birth and home address.

Texas State does not prefer one test over another and will accept either for admission purposes. Test sub-scores are not combined or super-scored. The composite score which is the best from a single sitting will be used to determine admission eligibility. Please note the old SAT (taken before March 2016) score taken into consideration in our initial review is the sum of the Critical Reading and Math sections only. An ACT/SAT Writing section score is recommended but not required for admissions consideration.

Submitting an application essay is recommended but not required. If you choose to submit an essay, you may select from Topics A, B or C of the ApplyTexas application. Essay topics can be viewed on the admission essay page as well as on page nine of the ApplyTexas application.

Texas State is committed to providing fee waivers to students with demonstrated need. To qualify for an application fee waiver, you must be a United States citizen, permanent resident or a student identified under Senate Bill 1528 and demonstrate that paying the application fee causes a serious financial hardship. Our Fee Waiver page has more information on how to apply for a fee waiver.

Our national and assured (e.g. National Merit, President's Honors and Achievement) scholarships are automatically awarded during the admission process for those with certain awards, test scores or other criteria. To apply for competitive scholarships, please fill out the Texas State Scholarship Application as well as essay topic A found in the ApplyTexas application. The deadline for scholarship applications is December 15th of your senior year. More information is available by visiting the freshman scholarship website.

To check the status of your application, visit the Applicant Status Check.

We do not require admitted students to formally accept our offer of admission to Texas State. You confirm that you intend to enroll for the term you are admitted by signing up for New Student Orientation (NSO), completing your housing contract and submitting your housing prepayment. Additional information is available on the Next Steps page of our website.

Yes. All new students are required to attend New Student Orientation (NSO). Find out more information by visiting the NSO page or calling 512.245.3655.

If you have been denied, we recommend taking immediate action to raise your academic profile. While it can be extremely difficult to improve your class rank in the senior year (especially if it's the spring semester), it is possible to raise your test scores in the hopes of improving your chances. The other option is to re-apply as a transfer student after you have completed 30 hours of college-level credit and earned a cumulative GPA of 2.25.

Yes. If you'd like to appeal our decision, you (the student) must submit a formal letter of appeal to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. In addition to the letter of appeal, you must also submit any appropriate documentation intended to support your appeal (e.g. new test score report or new school transcript). For an appeal to be effective, it must bring to light new academic information, as well as information regarding extenuating circumstances that were not included in the application. The Admission Appeal Committee will notify you of their decision by mail three to six weeks after they have received your appeal letter.

Send all appeal documents to Texas State University, The Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 429 N Guadalupe St., San Marcos, TX 78666 or email us at processing@txstate.edu, subject line Appeal Request.

If you have submitted an application or been admitted but not yet enrolled in classes, you may make changes or corrections to your personal information by submitting a completed Personal Information Update Request form to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

For the purpose of applying for admission, an international student is defined as one who is seeking, or currently holds, an F-1 or J-1 visa. (ALL other non-citizens should fill out the ApplyTexas U.S. Freshman or Transfer application. Please refer to the Freshman and Transfer admission pages and disregard ApplyTexas instructions that state the U.S. application is only for citizens and permanent residents - it is not.)

Please visit the Estimate Cost of Attendance page on the International Student and Scholar Services website.

If you need to be awarded a competitive scholarship to meet your financial requirements for an I-20, you should apply for admission at least one month prior to the scholarship deadlines of December 15 for fall freshmen, and March 1 for fall transfers and all summer applications. This is because you must already be admitted by the stated deadline to be eligible for a scholarship.

NOTE: There are NO competitive scholarships available for spring applicants. For students applying for the spring semester, there are Assured and Departmental scholarships available.

Receipt of a Texas State Competitive Scholarship of $1,000 or more can reduce your tuition cost by allowing you to pay the in-state resident tuition rate. (It is important to know that a waiver does not grant in-state residency. If it expires, or is lost, the tuition bill will increase to the full non-resident amount.)

The Tuition Assistance for Mexican Students (TAMS) application is available to F1 Visa students from Mexico. Learn more about other Financial Assistance available to international students.

Freshman applicants who are, or will be, graduates of foreign secondary schools must demonstrate above average academic achievement. Above average academic achievement is demonstrated by means of class rank (i.e. being ranked by your school in the top half of the class) or have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0. Applications must also have an education equivalent to that of a U.S. high school graduate. Freshmen who are, or will be, graduates of a U.S. high school and who have completed at least two years in a U.S. high school must meet the freshman admission requirements established for U.S. citizens.

Transfer applicants, regardless of whether they attended college at a foreign institution or in the U.S., must meet regular transfer admission requirements.

Some programs at Texas State require that students complete additional requirements, on top of what is needed to earn general admission to the University. These program entry requirements could include having a higher GPA, taking certain courses or participating in an audition process. Admission to Texas State does not guarantee acceptance into these programs.

No. Your application fee pays for the evaluation, so you must apply for admission and pay the fee in order to have your transcript evaluated.

You are not required to submit an ACT/SAT score unless you have attended at least 2 years of high school in the U.S. An ACT/SAT score is required for scholarship consideration, however (Freshman Assured, etc.).

Yes. All applicants must meet the English Language Proficiency Requirements to help ensure success as a student. If you cannot meet the proficiency standard for regular or conditional admission, you may be interested in applying to the Texas State Intensive English (TSIE) program. For information about TSIE, including a link to its application, please visit the Texas State Intensive English program website.

To determine if you are exempt from taking a language test, please look at the English Language Proficiency Requirements to find a list of exempt countries and territories.

Completion of only O-levels/GCSE/IGCSE is not sufficient for university admission or enrollment. Students may apply while still enrolled in Sixth Form/A-Levels, but to enroll they must either complete A-levels, or BTECs that would also be acceptable by a university in the United Kingdom in lieu of A-levels. (The student must provide proof of the BTEC acceptability.)

Yes. For those students who have applied for regular admission and are otherwise academically qualified for admission, we will offer Conditional Admission to those who do not meet the regular admission standards for English Proficiency. Students who accept conditional admission will be enrolled in the Texas State Intensive English (TSIE) program for a maximum of two academic terms. If they meet regular admission standards by the end of those terms, they will be fully admitted into the degree program of their choice (subject to any Limited Access program restrictions).

In addition, we offer Conditional Admission through a special arrangement with the Texas Intensive English Program (TIEP). Applications for the TIEP Conditional Admission Program are through TIEP.

Students who completed college course credits before graduating high school are still Freshmen applicants. Transfer applications are for students who have graduated from high school and then enrolled in a college or university.

No.

If not paid at the time of submission, you can mail a check payable to "Texas State University" to:

Texas State University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admissions Center
429 N. Guadalupe St.
San Marcos, TX 78666

You may also pay online through the link provided in the Application Status Check.

The most common reason is that you are entering the verification information the same as you entered it on your application. They must match exactly. You may need to go back to your application to see what you entered.

If that does not work, please contact the Information Technology Assistance Center (ITAC) at 512.245.4822, itac@txstate.edu or livechat.tr.txstate.edu. They are available 24 hours every day. If they tell you the problem is a specific item of information, contact processing@txstate.edu with what that is.

Texas State University requires that all school transcript records be sent directly from your school via mail/package service or online from a secure website (E Script, Parchment, etc.). You may mail or deliver a transcript in person if it is in an envelope signed and sealed by a school official. We will need transcripts from every school you've attended.

Mailing Address:

Texas State University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admissions Center
429 N. Guadalupe
San Marcos, TX 78666

You may submit transcripts via any means for an admission decision, but you will still need to provide an official final document to continue enrollment.

Yes. However, they will be considered unofficial. We will accept them to make an admission decision, but you will still need to provide an official final document to continue enrollment. Email transcript(s) to processing@txstate.edu.

Ask your school to provide the translation when they send the original. If they can't do that, and you are still in your home country, ask the school who they recommend to do it or take it to the nearest U.S. Consulate or Embassy. If already in the U.S., you may ask for help from your Embassy or Consulate, or find a local service that will certify its work. If not done by the school itself, the translation should include a statement that it was done for a document originally sealed by the school.

We prefer to do our own evaluations, and charge only $15 to evaluate a translated transcript, which is much less than any third-party evaluator. However, we will accept an evaluation completed by a recognized evaluation service, and it will be considered official as long as the evaluation company is a member of either the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE).

PLEASE NOTE: Due to known problems with fraudulent documents, students from certain countries may be required to have their transcripts verified for authenticity by a third-party evaluation company. Students from these countries will be notified individually of this requirement, along with further instructions.

No. Graduation exam scores are considered diplomas for completion and not transcripts by themselves. We require full records with grades awarded each year for each course taken. If you high (secondary) school is three years, you should have three years' worth of grades. If your school does not keep this kind of record, we will need a signed statement from a school official (not just a teacher) stating this.

Shortly after applying you will receive instructions about checking the status of your application online. You will also receive weekly e-mails letting you know what requirements are missing or incomplete. Please allow three weeks for documents you mailed to show as complete.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions makes admission decisions based upon a review of your academic record, which includes an assessment of your grade point average (GPA), class content, and test scores. Once admitted, you will need to provide additional information to International Student and Scholar Services, who will provide you with the I-20 you need in order to get a visa or transfer your SEVIS record. (This two-step process allows students who have difficulty meeting the financial requirements for an I-20 on their own to use their admission to get loans or scholarships.) Learn more about the immigration process.

For international students seeking study in the U.S. for one year or less, as part of a Study Abroad requirement or for personal enrichment, applications are made through Education Abroad.

You should complete the U.S. application and disregard that it says it is ONLY for U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents. In some cases, ApplyTexas may require you to use the International Application. If that happens, submit it instead. We will figure it out and correct it.

A Social Security number is not required on the application. Just leave the field blank and complete the rest of the application.

Don't worry if you do not have a Social Security Number – it is not required.

Biographical Info Section, Question 6.c. – Answer "No," unless you have specifically submitted an I-485 application for permanent residency (DACA is an I-765).

Biographical Info Section, Question 6.f. – Leave blank, or answer "None of the above." If ApplyTexas later says you must use the International Application, try switching to the other answer.

Residency Info Section, Question "Of what state or country are you a resident?" Answer where you are currently living, not your country of citizenship.

If you are classified as an in-state resident for tuition purposes, you may receive state financial aid by submitting a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA).

If you have questions about your residency status for tuition purposes, contact residency@txstate.edu.

No. Furthermore, their website is not optimized for mobile devices, and there are known issues with using the Chrome browser on some newer Android devices. You can try doing it all on your phone, but we recommend using a computer for all those reasons.

Yes, however make sure it is flat, well lit and in focus. Magnus will NOT approve a record that it can't read.

Magnus does not retain records after approval. If another approval is needed for a new school, you must submit your record again.

Try again. Occasionally, Magnus will not connect the first time. This condition usually only last a few seconds at a time, but can be longer on rare occasions.

You will get this response if you will be age 22 or older at the start of classes (exempt) or if you tried to upload your documentation before your term was available for loading. Please try again after the appropriate date below.

Fall - April 1
Spring - August 15
Summer - November 1

You were previously admitted to TX State and your Magnus record is stuck in archive. Call Magnus Customer Service at 877.461.6831 and tell them you need your account moved to the “Tracker” for the term (Spring/Summer/Fall, and the year) you are now admitted to enroll at Texas State University.

If you already have an approvable record (less than 5 prior to the first day of class) in their system, you can ask if they will move that, also. They may even let you pay the $10 processing fee over the phone. (In that case, you can just check back in couple days to see if your hold is removed, or if you have a green check mark on your Magnus account page.) Otherwise, you‘ll then need to go back to the instructions to log in to Magnus and pay/load your document.

Yes. Only Magnus can process and approve your record and they receive no funding from Texas State University to perform this function. There are no fee waivers or other approval sources. This also goes for anyone submitting an exemption, by mail or any other means.

No. The only acceptable method of payment is a credit or debit card.

There are known issues with using the Chrome browser on some newer Android devices. If this happens, it is best to try again from a computer using a different browser. The Magnus website supports most other browsers, including IE, Firefox and Safari.

First, try again later. The Magnus website may sometimes experience problems during periods of high volume activity.

Second, see if you can find help for your problem on the Magnus Support Center for students. Links to email or Live Chat with Magnus are available on that page, or you may call their customer service number at 877.461.6831.

Magnus will reject a record if the date is not clear. If that is the problem, you will need to obtain a better copy of your record and upload it to Magnus. You will not have to pay another processing fee.

If your record has meningitis shot information in more than one place, you will need to indicate the more recent entry in a way that makes it stand out (drawing an arrow from the older entry to the newer one works well) and upload it again.

You may either email us with a request to withdraw your application and include your full name, date of birth and Texas State ID number. You may also withdraw your application yourself at "Application Status Check" in Self-Serve Banner.

For questions about the Magnus website, submitting your record or records you have already submitted, visit the Magnus Support Center for students. Links to email or Live Chat are also available on that page, or you may call customer service at 877.461.6831.

For all other questions, email us.

Bobcat Day is your opportunity to experience Texas State and get a glimpse of life as a Bobcat. During your day with us you can tour our beautiful campus, visit with faculty and advisors, learn about admission policies and talk with students, administrators and student support specialists.

Whether you are just starting your college search or are already accepted to Texas State, we would love for you to come and experience Bobcat Country!

Bobcat Day activities, including parking, are free! You will want to bring some money for meals and Texas State souvenirs, both of which can be purchased on campus.

Check in is from 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. in the LBJ Student Center. To get the most out of Bobcat Day, we recommend that you arrive during that time. Remember to bring your pre-registration check-in email.

Check-in begins at 8:00 a.m. and there are activities you can choose to do until 3:00 p.m.

No, it does not. You can sign up for New Student Orientation (NSO) on the NSO web page.

Please print out and bring your pre-registration confirmation email to expedite the check-in process.

Bobcat Day is a casual event, so dress comfortably and wear walking shoes.

We recommend you pre-register to make the check in process smoother. Bobcat Day registration is available online.

Follow the signs and the people directing traffic once you arrive on campus. Make sure you pay attention to where you park, so you can find your way back to your vehicle at the end of Bobcat Day.

You may turn in your transcript to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. that day:

Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admissions Center
429 N. Guadalupe Street
San Marcos, TX 78666

Counselors are available at the Admissions Information Sessions and in the Academic Majors & Student Services Fair. Academic Advisors will not be available for individual meetings on Bobcat Day.

Student-guided campus walks are available on Bobcat Day beginning at 8:30 a.m. There is no need to pre-register. Walks depart every 15 minutes from the Alkek Library breezeway and they last about 30-45 minutes. The last group departs at 1 p.m. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes!